


Turn The Lights Off

by EggmansGayLover (MarkingArt)



Category: Sonic the Hedgehog (2020)
Genre: Boss/Employee Relationship, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Love Confessions, M/M, Mutual Pining, Pining, Sickfic, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, my little gremlin hands were made for one reason and one reason only and that is to make them KISS, rated teen for mild language
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-30
Updated: 2020-04-30
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:22:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,215
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23922289
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MarkingArt/pseuds/EggmansGayLover
Summary: Stone couldn't miss work just because he was sick, Robotnik would fire him!  But maybe it would've been a better idea to stay home.
Relationships: Dr. Eggman | Dr. Robotnik/Agent Stone
Comments: 11
Kudos: 196





	Turn The Lights Off

**Author's Note:**

> This is just something super self indulgent and simple based off of a comment someone made in the Stobotnik server. I hope you guys enjoy it! This was NOT supposed to be so long but I really got caught up in it.

He groaned as soon as he opened his eyes that morning. Not because of the pounding in his head, or the rolling of his stomach. But rather what it meant. He was undeniably sick. And sick was something he simply could not be, working for Robotnik and all. 

His first week of working for Robotnik had resulted in one of the fellow trainees being fired for calling in sick. The bug had spread to another coworker, who was fired for coughing too much and distracting the doctor. Luckily, Stone’s steel immune system had protected him from anything that wasn’t mild allergies for the past three years. It seemed it had finally failed him, he realized with a pained whine as he sat up.

He had two options. He could stay home, call in sick, and be fired without question. Or, he could try to hide the fact that he was sick from the doctor and run the risk of being caught and fired. Obviously, the latter was preferable. Then he’d at least have a chance of keeping his job.

He wouldn’t be able to stand losing his job with Robotnik. He adored seeing the genius at work, and would do anything for him. He hated to admit it for his own sake, but he adored the man himself.

He shook his head and slowly stood from the bed. The dizziness in his head and blackening of his vision was highly concerning to him, what with his medical training. But he ignored it in favor of stepping into the shower to begin his day.

Stone told himself he was feeling better as he stepped out the door. He had felt the worst while showering, where he had begun to feel lightheaded and almost passed out. But after foregoing his morning protein shake and getting dressed, he felt a little less like vomiting. 

He decided it wasn’t the best idea to drive to work, and called an uber instead. He still felt in danger of passing out any second.

No small talk was made to the uber driver, who kept looking in the rearview mirror concernedly at Stone every time he sniffled grossly. He left a generous tip when the awkward ride was finally over.

As always, he headed first to the kitchen to brew the doctor’s latte. He figured it would be best if he didn’t have his own coffee that day; his stomach was already protesting. He blinked blearily at the coworker who had approached him from behind without him noticing.

“How are you today, Aban? Oh dear, you don’t look well.” He chuckled nervously at them.

“Yeah, I think I might be sick. But whatever you do, don’t tell the doctor. I’d like to keep my job, thank you.” They gave him a strained smile and a weak ‘Good luck’ and he was back to making the latte. He barely had it in him to do the latte art he always did. The masochistic romantic in him forced him to add a shaky heart in the foam. It’s not like the doctor ever opened the lid anyway.

He almost tripped on his own feet as he opened the door to the lab, but by the grace of whatever god that was listening, he caught himself on the door.

“Good morning, doctor. I have your latte.” The man hummed at him and gestured toward the table beside his desk. He seemed to be lost in thought, so Stone complied and set the cup on the table and stood in his place on the other side of the desk. He was watching him work out of the corner of his eye, so he saw the second he froze as his brain caught up to him.

“Agent Stone… your voice. It’s hoarse. Why is that?” Stone’s eyes grew big, and he cleared his throat. 

“Just, uh. Just allergies, sir. I apologize.” Robotnik narrowed his eyes at him but returned to his work. They continued as usual for quite a while. Stone yearned to curl up in a ball and cover his eyes and hold his stomach, but resisted. He stood in his designated spot with tired eyes. He thought he was doing fine. It wasn’t until the corners of his vision began to grow fuzzy that he began to feel the familiar sensation of his stomach rolling and his mouth filling with saliva.

“May I be excused to the restroom?” He barely waited for the doctor’s nod before he was dashing to the bathroom attached to the lab. He didn’t bother locking the door, simply rushing to the toilet and hunching over it. Each choked retch made him wince, hoping against all hope that Robotnik didn’t hear.

Straightening himself shakily, he moved to look at himself in the mirror. Not too bad. He rinsed his mouth with water from the sink and pressed a hand to his aching stomach. 

A few deep breaths later and he felt he was as ready as ever to return to the lab. He still felt horrible, and wanted nothing more than to crawl into his own bed and sleep for a week. But again, he knew his job was worth the pain. Luckily, Robotnik hadn’t seemed to have turned away from his work. He returned to his place beside the desk and glanced at the man. A silent sigh left him in relief as he saw that his eyes were still trained on his projected monitor.

Time wore on without Stone’s attention. He was having difficulty focusing his eyes. He didn’t notice that he was swaying lightly on his feet. What did catch his attention was the way Robotnik sipped the now-cold latte he had brought. 

Oh how he adored the doctor. He was an absolute genius in every sense of the word. He acted so mean but Stone knew deep down that he cared. Now if only he would care about Stone in particular. Unfortunately, his robots would always be the subject of his affections. Maybe he had some nice lady at home, someone almost as smart as him. The thought made Stone furrow his brows.

“-okay? Agent Stone, answer me; are you okay?” He jerked his head up and winced at the way his eyes felt like they rolled back towards his brain.

“Of- of course, doctor. What makes you ask?”

“Well, several things. I asked for your opinion on this blueprint, and you ignored me. Then I noticed your face is flushed and you’re sweating.”

“I’m just… anxious. I uh- forgot my pills this morning.” Robotnik rolled his eyes and stood from his chair.

“You never forget your pills. Let me check your temperature, you don’t look well.” He stumbled back until he hit the wall as the doctor reached out his hand to his forehead.

“No you don’t need to do that!” He breathed out but it was already too late. A heavenly cool gloved hand pressed against his forehead. He couldn’t stop his eyes from fluttering shut at the temporary relief from the heat he didn’t even know was there. They flew open again as Robotnik exclaimed.

“What the fuck- you have a fever of 103. Unless my vitals reader is playing tricks on me. But I can feel the heat of your face through my glove, so I don’t think so. That being said, you had to know you were sick. So why did you come to work?” Stone sputtered

“I-I’m so sorry-please don’t fire me! I just knew that If I called in sick you would fire me and- and I thought if I came in you wouldn’t notice I was sick and maybe you  _ wouldn’t  _ fire me.” Robotnik hung his head and sighed, before turning his head back up and looking into Stone’s bleary eyes.

“I’m not going to fire you. Why would you think that?”

“Well, uh, you fired that other trainee for calling in sick when I first started working with you.”

“Oh please, I just wanted an excuse to get rid of him. You mean too much to me to fire you.” The combination of Stone’s lopsided grin, milky eyes, and reddened face was oddly endearing. 

“You really mean that?”

“Of course I mean it, otherwise I wouldn’t have said it, idiot. But more importantly, I’m sending you home for the day. Do you have someone to come pick you up and take care of you?” He nodded like a bobblehead.

“Don’t lie to me, Stone. Who's going to take care of you?”

“I don’t have anyone. All my family’s across the country. I don’t… don’t really have any friends.” Robotnik frowned.

“I guess I’ll take care of you then. I can’t have you dying on me.”

“No no no, you have important things to do. I can’t make you do that.”

“Of course I have important things to do. But it’s more important in the long run that you’re at your best. And you’re obviously very sick, you can barely stand. You can’t possibly take care of yourself.” Stone averted his eyes sluggishly and considered it.

He didn’t really have a choice in the matter, he could tell by the doctor’s tone. Also, wouldn’t he really love to be cared for by him? That was very unprofessional-but he always ached for attention from him. He would have all of his attention. He didn’t imagine he would be pampered in any sense of the word, maybe given some pills and watched over for the day. But that would be enough. That was all he needed.

“Okay, I didn’t drive here but you know my address so maybe we can take an uber. Wait- we can’t have you getting sick, this is a bad idea.” He was beginning to slur his words ever so slightly.

“Nonsense. I have an excellent immune system. Besides, I’ll figure out what bug you have and make my cleaning bots target it. I do have protocols for this. Also, I’m driving you to my house. That’s where I keep all of my medical supplies.”

He couldn’t do anything besides nod. The pounding in his head had returned and it was beginning to hurt behind his eyes whenever he moved them.

Robotnik led them out the back exit of the lab and into his personal car. He was even nice enough to help Stone into the car, making his heart swell and a lump grow in his overly-emotional throat. 

Neither of them felt very chatty on the drive to his house. Stone could hear blood rushing in his ears, and let his head loll back onto the headrest. He let his hands drift to hold his stomach, and curled his legs up onto the seat. He didn’t notice the concerned glance sent his way by Robotnik.

When they arrived, Stone had to stop himself from marvelling at the beautiful house. Of course Robotnik lived luxuriously. But as he opened the door and got out on wobbly legs, the other man was already there to grasp his shoulder and lead him through the doorway.

“I’m going to let you stay in my bed, I don’t have a guest room.”

“Oh no, the couch ‘s fine.” 

“Nonsense. You deserve better than that.” Stone sniffled. He didn’t know if it was the sickness this time. 

Robotnik moved his hand from his shoulder to his waist as he opened the door to his room. Stone had caught a few glimpses of the rest of the house and admired the modern, sleek atmosphere. His room was no different. A thick comforter lay atop sheets that looked to be silk. The bed was messy and unmade, but Stone ached to relax into it. 

He moved so that the agent sat on the bed and walked into the closet nearby. Stone could hear him rummaging around before he returned with a pair of pajamas.

“These don’t fit me, so you can use them. Can’t have you ruining your suit.” He took the clothes from the doctor’s hands with a murmured ‘thank you.’ His voice had gone from hoarse to nearly silent. Robotnik turned away to allow him to change and he began to unbutton his overcoat with fumbling fingers. He managed out of his coat and pants but was struggling with his shirt. It was caught on his head and he was too weak to pull it free.

“Uh- doctor I’m stuck.” He tentatively turned around and fought the urge to snicker at the sight. His deadly personal agent sat in his briefs with his shirt half unbuttoned and stuck over his head.

“It’s because you didn’t unbutton it all the way. How out of it are you?” Stone just grunted in response as Robotnik pulled the shirt back down. He finished unbuttoning it quickly and pulled it off of Stone. He was barely able to sit up by then. “I’ll help you get dressed.” He hummed.

He didn’t seem to quite understand the implications of the words however, and started when Robotnik began to pull the pajama pants up his legs. He was compliant anyway, helping the doctor with what little strength he had left. 

When he was finally dressed he collapsed back into the bed, eyes already growing heavier. The pajamas were comfortable. They were a little long on him and tighter than he preferred, but they smelled like Robotnik. He hadn’t noticed that he was shivering violently until the doctor pulled the warm comforter over him. He stared at him with watery eyes.

“I’m going to go get you some pills for the fever. I’m also going to bring some water, which I expect you to drink all of.” A panicked fear swelled in his aching chest.

“Don’t go” He turned back towards him as he had begun to leave.

“I’m sorry?”

“I’m-I’m sorry, I don’t know what came over me. I didn’t mean that.” Robotnik made an odd face at him.

“Don’t worry, I’ll hurry back.” Stone wrung his hands under the blankets. Why had he said that? The doctor didn’t seem too upset about it, but that intense anxiety was unexpected. Maybe he was sicker than he thought. He really was afraid that he would leave him like this. But that made no sense.

Suddenly it was far too hot, and he kicked off the blankets. He ignored the rush of relief in his throat as he heard the other man’s footsteps coming up the hall.

“This will make the fever go down, which should make you feel a lot better. I also have a test I created that should tell us what you have.” Robotnik sat on the edge of the bed and handed him two pink pills that he didn’t recognize. A glass of water was placed on the bedside table and he revealed a sleek little device not unlike a glucose meter.

“Take your pills and hold out your hand. I’m going to have to take blood from your finger so it’ll sting. But just drink your water.” He held out his hand, trying hard to quell the trembling. After taking the pills with a wince, he slowly sipped the water. It was difficult to ignore the sick feeling in his stomach that resulted from drinking the water but Robotnik had asked him to drink it, so he would.

He winced at the sting of the device piercing the skin of his finger, but focused on the feeling of the doctor’s hand. He had taken off his gloves, so his warm hand steadied Stone’s cold wrist. He stopped drinking his water to stare with wide, unintelligent eyes at the man’s hands that were touching his own. 

He retreated the hand holding the device and shook it gently, before looking at the small screen.

“Influenza B, just as I thought. You’ll be fine with a little TLC, but we certainly need to keep an eye on that fever of yours.” He let the concern trickle into his voice a bit before shutting himself up. “Those pills should get to work almost immediately, so I’ll check your temperature in a bit.”

He strode to the corner of the room where an armchair lay, and with a grunt he dragged it to the bedside. He slumped into it and massaged his forehead with both hands. Stone could hear him groan softly. It was a familiar sound, one he made when he was stressed about his machines.

“I’m sorry about this, Robotnik. I know… know you have so many better things to be doing. You don’t need this kind of stress.” His hoarse voice made his head ache even more, and he took a too-big gulp of his water.

“Bullshit. I need you in working order. I’ve never had someone that was able to work with me so well and I don’t know what I’d do if I lost you.” Tears welled up in Stone’s eyes so he looked away. The flood of emotions made him feel even more lightheaded, so he quickly placed the water cup onto the bedside table. He heard the doctor distanty calling his name as his head hit the pillow.

He awoke the second time that day to two warm hands frantically shaking his shoulders. He gasped at the pain and jolted away from the touch.

“Oh thank god you’re awake. Your pulse was super high and… and…” He ran his hands through his already mussed hair with a heavy sigh.

“It’s ok. It’s probably just the fever.”

“It’s not ok! I was worried! Jesus, for all I knew, you were dead. Don’t ever do that again, you hear me Stone?” He nodded frantically despite the stabbing ache behind his eyes and in his neck. 

“I promise.” Robotnik sat back onto the side of the bed and sighed again. 

“Let’s check your temperature, then.” He took out a forehead thermometer from a compartment in the bedside table and ran it across Stone’s forehead. His tense shoulders relaxed upon reading the screen.

“Down to 100. The meds are working and it should be all the way down soon.” Stone curled onto his side and brought his knees up to his chest. The doctor gave him a confusing look. It was probably wishful thinking to imagine it was loving.

The other man looked otherwise distraught. His hair was far from its usual perfectly styled form, the longer side flopping over his eyes. His mustache was a little fluffier on one side from his right hand worrying at it. He couldn’t have been concerned about  _ Stone, _ could he?

“Doctor, I want you to know that you don’t need to worry about me. I’m going to be fine.” His eyes fluttered. He was growing very tired.

“Of course, you’re under the best care in the world. I would never let anything happen to you.” A grin split his tired face. He was no longer overheated, and began to shiver again. Robotnik stood and pulled the sheets back over him before returning to the armchair.

His eyelids were growing too heavy to ignore. He breathed deeply.

“‘M gonna sleep now. Love you.” He didn’t register his own words. He didn’t register the feeling of a soft kiss on his forehead.

But just as he was drifting off, he heard the unmistakable voice of his doctor saying

“I love you too.”

**Author's Note:**

> I really appreciate constructive criticism or comments about what you thought of this, as long as they're nice. I hope y'all enjoyed this one!


End file.
